AL AIN // Just off Al Ain's Khalifa Street, the textile stores on Old Jawazat Road - better known as Old Passport Road - grow quieter after every Eid.
The mere click of heels along the concrete floor past the dozen stores scattered on either side of the street draws some shopkeepers outside, trying to lure any potential customer into their store. Others, though, have lost hope and gaze silently, forlornly at the passers-by.
"I don't stand outside," says Rajender Jessani, a 55-year-old Indian shopkeeper at Al Najha Textiles. "Why should I? If they want to come, they will come,"
After seeing the malls gradually rob him of custom, he says he has lost hope. For his family's sake, he still comes from home early each morning and evening, to wait for his naseeb [fate].
"Many locals come during Eid," he says, "but now it is not Eid so no one is here. It is all naseeb."
"Fewer people are coming. The few locals who do come make problems, sometimes using bad words and asking for too low a price. But the number of locals in Al Ain is increasing - so we don't know what the problem is."
After working at the same narrow shop for the past quarter of a century, he says he has little hope left of pursuing his childhood dreams. "I wanted to go back home and open my own business, but now I am old. I like my country a lot, of course I miss it."
Next door, Deepak Lakhani, also from India, has been the store manager at Star Textiles for 13 years. He, too, says sales are suffering.
"People know about our stores, but now we are seeing fewer locals and fewer Omanis because of the shopping malls," he says. "Of course it is better to buy here. You can buy silk, cotton, nylon, lace, anything, in all colours, and make what you like."
A women, an Emirati in her 50s, steps in to the store, and is immediately surrounded by salesmen keen for a commission.
"Where is Golden Thread?" she asks. Defeated, they direct her down the road, beyond the mosque.
At Lamasat Textiles, the 26-year-old Syrian salesman is fed up. He's only here, he says, until he finds a better job.
"All the old staff have left. No one wants to stay here, and if we get the chance we will all go," he said. "I want to get another job to start a family, to get married."
His colleague, a 32-year-old Egyptian, is similarly downbeat. "If you need textile go to Golden Thread," he says. "They have everything."
Despite the shopkeepers' pessimism, the car parks are packed at night with men waiting patiently for their daughters, sisters and wives.
"My wife comes here every few weeks," says HA, a local customer. "My wife doesn't haggle much, but prices are always up.
"She comes here with her daughters to try to teach them, like her mum taught her, to buy and make clothes. Today's fashion is no good, especially for the new kids."
For Roaa Saeed, a 17-year-old Egyptian, the offerings here are hardly promising. "My mum says because we wear hijab, we should tailor-make our clothes because the clothes in stores are too tight and too transparent," she says. "But I want to wear like my friends. I don't like it here."
It is all a far cry from when these shops opened. Amit Raj, a 26-year-old Indian who manages Al Dhahery Textiles, tells of the times before he was born when his mother started up their shop.
"We were the first store to open on this road 32 years ago," says Amit Raj, the Indian manager of Al Dhahery Textiles.
Not that the 26-year-old was there back then. The store was his mother's.
"The shops on the other side were photocopy and print stores, that is why it is called Passport Road.
"Not much has changed. It is not about fewer customers.
"The same customers are there, but now more shops are open - all textile - so business is not so good."
osalem@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
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Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Mountain%20Boy
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA